#410: A Hard Day's Night (1964)

Director: Richard Lester

Cast: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison & Ringo Starr

Beatlemania has spread across the globe in 1964, and the unpretentious and would-be low-key members of the band are faced with crazed fans and reporters asking inane questions, as well as performances to put on, and downtime in between. All the while, Paul is asked to watch over his grandfather, whose senility brings him through adventures of his own.

The best way I can pseudo-analyze this one is by comparing it to my previous post on Elvis's Jailhouse Rock (1957). Only seven years had passed, and the change is astonishing. Elvis did not play himself, but instead took on the character Vince Everett. His personality today would be easily defined as emo, with an aggressive behavior and a sad outlook on life. He discovers his own unique way of singing, bringing him to worldwide fame.

And then, only a few years later, the Beatles come along. They are all-out joyful, and their voices are completely natural. Their singing doesn't come across as pretentious at all - they are practically sending an invitation to you to sing along, and anyone can do it. While Elvis was trained how to answer questions from the press, the Beatles were 100% original in their speech.

As far as entertainment value, I wasn't enthralled. Though it of course was all comedic, the Beatles are such a monument in music history that I can't help but watch this film as anything but a historical gem.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• The people chasing The Beatles into the train at the beginning of the film are real fans.
• When shooting began, The Beatles had not yet joined the British actor's union. They were hastily inducted on the set with Wilfrid Brambellproposing their membership, and Norman Rossington seconding the motion.
• Ringo was praised for his solo scene at the riverside as a forlorn soul. However, his expression in that scene was actually the result of being severely hung over after a previous night of heavy drinking.
• The constant mention of Paul's grandfather being "very clean" are references to actor Wilfrid Brambell playing a rag and bone man in"Steptoe and Son" (1962), featuring the catch-phrase, "You dirty old man." "Steptoe and Son" (1962) was remade in the USA as "Sanford and Son" (1972).
• The first movie ever put out on DVD, it was issued as a single disc. It was later reissued as a two-disc DVD.

#481: Topsy-Turvy (1999)

Director: Mike Leigh

Cast: Jim Broadbent, Allan Corduner, Lesley Manville, ...

The production of an operetta by Gilbert & Sullivan is thoroughly explored in Topsy-Turvy. Based on true events leading to the original production of The Mikado, Leigh presents to us the hesitancy on Sullivan's part to compose to the repetitive and frivolous themes which continuously flow from Gilbert's hand. Refusing to take part in another operetta featuring a magical dilemma, such as the pair's unsuccessful run of Princess Ida, Sullivan forces Gilbert to find inspiration elsewhere. He finds it at a London exhibition on Japanese culture.

Through the film, we encounter all the problems that are most certainly to have transpired in 1885. The introduction of such an exotic culture to the haughty Victorian era must truly have been a shock. In one scene, the cast complained of the vulgar costuming, including the forced abandonment of corsets - for women and men alike! We also are presented the concerns of the production's management for the cast's health, the audience's perception of such a change of scene (literally), and the authenticity of the Japanese culture represented in the performance.

The New York Times review of the film was extremely complimentary, comparing the structure of the film to Shakespeare in Love (which, unfortunately, didn't make the cut to be on the Empire 500). I must disagree on this occasion. Of course, the basic similarity is the presentation of a performance within the film and it's breakdown of parts to be brought together for the final product. Aside from this, though, I found the film quite different. There isn't much of an arc throughout the film to tie everything together aside from The Mikado itself. Entertaining as it is, it is difficult to pinpoint what type of relationships the many characters have amongst each other.

Aside from this one criticism, the film is an enormous achievement. All the actors performed especially well, and the amount of effort that must have been made to not only perform as the actors but in The Mikado itself is astounding. The musical department was directed phenomenally by Gary Yershon (composer of the score for Happy-Go-Lucky), and the costumes were authentic and beautiful.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• Most modern recordings and performances of the Mikado's solo, "A More Humane Mikado" feature a bloodthirsty laugh between the verses. This touch was added by Darrel Fancourt, a D'Oyly Carte performer from 1920-1953, and has been copied ever since - which is why the laugh is not performed by Richard Temple (Timothy Spall).
• When Richard Temple performs "A More Humane Mikado" during the dress rehearsal, the script cuts out the third verse. Partly this may have been because of time considerations, but also because the original verse used the word "nigger" and was not changed until the 1940s.
• In his dressing room after the performance of "Princess Ida" in which he strains his voice, Richard Temple recites some dialog from "H.M.S. Pinafore". Temple created the character of Dick Deadeye in "H.M.S. Pinafore", and sang it during the initial 1878 run and several subsequent revivals.
• Similarly, in the scene where Leonora Braham and Jessie Bond sing a short excerpt in their dressing room (ending in "he was a little boy") during an interlude of "The Sorceror", the song is from the Gilbert & Sullivan opera "Patience" ("Long years ago..."), sung by the characters Patience and Angela, which Leonora Braham and Jessie Bond had performed in the initial 1880 Opera Comique production.

#495: Jailhouse Rock (1957)

Director: Richard Thorpe

Cast: Elvis Presley, Judy Tyler & Mickey Shaughnessy

Considered Elvis's greatest film, Jailhouse Rock gives us a little glimpse into the music industry of the 50's. The story is of Vince Everett, a beatnik with a bit of an anger problem, who gets thrown in jail for committing manslaughter. His cellmate, businessman Hunk Houghton, teaches Vince to sing, and they agree to perform together once they're released. However, between Everett's and Houghton's release dates, Everett has already become a star with the help of Peggy Van Alden.

Although there's not much to say as far as cinematography, the film's still got a certain charm. Of course, a part of it is Elvis's songs (most memorably the title song, performed as a show within a show while Everett records for NBC). There's also a great sequence in the record studio where Everett finally finds his own true voice. A bit like a manned up version of Do-Re-Mi, it helps demonstrate just how unique Elvis's voice was at the time.

This was my first Elvis film, and it's really given me a better appreciation for The King. It is an incredible achievement that he reached stardom so early on with his dangerous persona. Forget the hip-swinging that all the mothers were so concerned about - he portrayed a truly aggressive character in this film while still acting as the protagonist.

All I have to say is, All Hail the King!

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• Elvis Presley refused to watch this movie because of Judy Tyler's tragic accidental death in a car wreck July 4, 1957, three days after filming was completed.
• In the listing of the American Film Institute's "100 years, 100 Songs" the song "Jailhouse Rock" was voted #21.
• Originally the choreographer, Alex Romero, created a dance for the song "Jailhouse Rock" that was in a style that was apropos for a more classically trained dancer than Elvis. When Mr. Romero realized that his plans for the number were never going to work, he asked Elvis how would he normally move to the song; thus, this is how Elvis became the uncredited choreographer for what could be considered his most famous dance number in all of his movies.